Whether you're a double-century sort of bicyclist or just like to get on your bicycle and explore, the combination of your smartphone and the Nite Ize Handleband will make your rides more fun and relaxing. No one likes to get lost while biking, but there are a lot of roads, intersections and opportunities for unplanned adventures in even the smallest town. That's where the Handleband comes in: it lets you easily attach your smartphone to the handlebars of your bike and have a live map showing you exactly where you are at all times.

Kids don't worry about this so much and the iconic imagery from both the cult film hit "The Goonies" and the popular horror series “Stranger Things” was of the group of pals jumping on their bicycles and pedaling off down the street. A mystery was afoot and they were ready to explore!

Plenty of adults use their bicycle as basic transportation, in which case it's likely that you already have a route mapped out and never vary from it. But what if there was a better way to get to work, the market or the gym, a prettier route that avoided some of the worst vehicular traffic and shaved a few minutes off the ride? Having a live map on your handlebars can give you the confidence to try out different routes and change things up to make the commute a bit more interesting.

Regardless of what type of bicyclist you are, the modern cyclist's problem is how to actually access your smartphone while en route. You can’t just hold it, you can’t have it in a basket, and you can’t leave it in your pocket. And yet, you get text messages. You get email. You need to check your route. Solution: attach it to your handlebars:

That's the purpose of the Nite Ize Handleband. It’s a simple universal smartphone mount that lets you securely attach just about any phone to the handlebars of your bicycle, so that the screen is still visible and fully functional. Not only that, but if your life is more about strollers, or even shopping carts, it’ll work great with those, too.

Constructed of a lightweight expandable silicone with an aluminum base at its core, the HandleBand is inexpensive enough that you can buy one for each of your riders, adult or child, and know that you’ve acquired a great tool to help avoid dropped phones and cracked screens. It’s also flexible enough that it can be attached and removed thousands of times, whether you need to move it to another bike or use the convenient bottle opener built into the base.

If you’re on a bicycle, if you have a stroller, or if you just like to have easy access to your phone while at the market, the Nite Ize HandleBand could be a great addition to your smartphone accessories.

I am a trail runner, not a cyclist or mountain biker. The one time I did own a bike it was a mountain bike + it lived on the trails with me. Riding a bicycle in traffic is terrifying to me -- I don’t trust that the people behind the wheels of all the cars will be paying enough attention to guarantee my safety. Not to mention the fact I don’t necessarily trust myself atop a bike. I’m far more comfortable in my running shoes with only thin rubber between me + the ground.

All of these fun facts were ignored when I decided to cycle the coast of Croatia...in July...for nearly a month...on a cobbled together bike...with my life strapped to the frame.

My game plan was to cycle from northern Croatia to southern Croatia over the course of about four weeks. I needed to venture out of the Schengen Region of Europe to stay within the regulations of my visitor visa + I wasn’t about to just hang out on a beach. I wanted something more, something exciting + something hard. So when it was suggested I cycle the coast of Croatia I jumped all over the chance to take on adventure.

Instead of thinking about how much was stacked against me I focused on how much fun it was going to be. Not to mention how miserable it was going to be. I was looking at about 400 miles of cycling in the heat of a coastal country’s humid summer sunshine. Needless to say, I’ve had better ideas.

Nite Ize to the Rescue!

I mentioned this idea to the crew at Nite Ize about two months before I took off + they were even more stoked about it than I was! They asked how they could support my crazy. Nite Ize specializes in outdoor gear gadgets + some pretty spiffy bicycle accessories. Of course I wanted their help + support! It was a perfect fit! They supplied me with some awesome gear that came in incredibly handy when I was packing up my gear + decking out my new-to-me bike.

The bike lights were amazing + made my bike incredibly visible, which alleviated a lot of my stress about being visible on the highways. I strapped the INOVA STS Reachargable Headlamp to the front of the bike + the LED TwistLit to my back fender. This covered the basic requirements for bike safety, but I wanted more. I love color + what’s more colorful than multi-colored SpokeLits to spice things up?! Yea, no one was going to miss me on the road! But for good measure I packed along bright colors + reflective gear, because safety first!

Another great product that Nite Ize has created for cyclists is the HandleBand mount for your GPS/phone. It straps to your handlebars + keeps your phone right in your view. I quite literally depended upon this gadget! Since my route was created as I went it was integral to have my phone with Google Maps in front of me at all times. I even rigged up some Gear Ties to hold a battery pack to my bike frame so I’d always be able to check my route.

The Gear Ties also came in handy to strap my tent poles to my bike frame + keep all of my cords intact [yup, I took along electronics -- that’s the life of a digital nomad!]. I also found nearly a million uses for the CamJam XT Cord Tightener, which could be paired up with paracord to become a bungee or clothesline or...whatever else you could possibly need with adjustable paracord. We washed our clothes in campground sinks, so we put the CamJam clothesline to good use!

They were also kind enough to send along a cycling jersey to make me feel legit! I am not a cycling short convert, but the jerseys are rather incredible with their back pockets! It’s the little things in life I tell ya.

Adventure Bound // Cycling Coastal Croatia

I arrived in Rovinj, Croatia via bus after more than 24 hours of travel. I drug my bagged up bike over to a tiny park near the bus station, unpacked it + put it all together. Within about 30 minutes of getting off the bus I was on the road, following my phone’s GPS toward a campsite about 10km away. The sense of accomplishment I felt when I arrived at the campground + managed to set up camp without incident was glorious. I did it! I rode a touring bike + didn’t fall over [at least not entirely!]. I had remembered enough of my gear to at least set up my tent. Boom...I had this! I was going to do this!

This all changed the next day when I spent the entire afternoon sprawled out in the shade, willing myself not to vomit everywhere. In my excitement to ride I had forgotten to eat or drink for the entirety of a very hot, very sunny 20km/13mi jaunt. By the time I arrived at camp I was trashed. My ego was crushed...I am an ultra trail runner, I was supposed to be smarter than this!

Later that day my friend, Sophie, arrived via plane with her touring bike in tow. We were planning to spend the next few weeks cycling together. She knew cycling, I knew suffering. It seemed fool proof.

It definitely wasn’t a fool proof plan. It was a plan made by fools. We knew we were pushing our limits, but we were optimistic. Over the next few days we learned exactly what our limits are + how unprepared we were. Phew. Did you know Croatia is crazy hot + insanely humid in mid-July?! Well, it is. Heat + humidity are brutal, especially for a mountain girl [me!] + a girl from the United Kingdom [Sophie!]. The conditions ate us alive + eventually we gave in. Or, in my mind at the time, we gave up. We rented a car.

The car was barely large enough to fit our tire-less bikes into it, but it came with air conditioning + a motor. That’s exactly what we needed in that moment. It took some time for me to accept the feeling of failure that came with this tiny European car, but in the end it was definitely a worthy decision. The car took us inland where we were able to explore Plitvice Lakes National Park + Krka National Park. Both were incredible + would not have been possible with our bikes + schedule.

We spent a week in the car, then returned it for a few more days of cycling once we arrived in southern Croatia. It actually felt good to get back on my bike as I rode along a nearly empty road leading from Dubrovnik, Croatia to Hercig Novi, Montenegro. It was freeing + calming. I loved it more with every pedal turn. After a few too many days of wishing my bike tires would just fall off I was now plotting how I would take it back home with me.

I will always identify as a trail runner first...but at my core I am happy to get outside, however I can. Even atop a bicycle that I learned how to put together in the days before a four week adventure.

Between the bikes + the rental car we were able to visit Pula, Zadar, Split, Makarska, Plitvice Lake NP, Krka NP + Dubrovnik in Croatia. From Dubrovnik I head to Herceg Novi + Kotor, Montenegro while Sophie ventured north to Munich, Germany. I closed out my Croatian adventure with a stop in Zagreb, then met up with Sophie before we both returned to the mountains of Switzerland.

You can read up on more of the adventure over on my website: Heidi Kumm // Oversharing Life. You’ll find the full story, a run down of the logistics + the details of how I packed my life into a few pannier bags. I learned a lot while roaming + exploring on a bike...so much so that I’m fairly certain I will be acquiring a new bike this summer. While the bike I used in Croatia did come back to Colorado with me there’s a very high chance I’ll be popping my colorful SpokeLits on another new-to-me bike. One created for trails, to mesh a bit more with my trail running ways.

It feels like yesterday that I watched my oldest son exit the bus as a second grader for the last time, while I explained to my five-year-old son that he was still a whole summer away from starting kindergarten.

“That’s, like, a year away!”

And in kid time, he’s right. But in adult time, summer goes by in seconds. I must have blinked a little too fast, because it's already time to shift from sunscreen and summer camps to books and backpacks. Transitions are hard for kids and adults alike, but here are solutions that help my family get back to school smoothly (while retaining some semblance of sanity).

MOOOOOOOM, WHERE IS MY…

Children’s ability to learn is almost as impressive as their ability to forget, which makes S-Biners a lifesaver for keeping easy-to-lose items secure and accessible. With a variety of colorful clippable solutions that can be connected to backpacks, gym bags, lunch boxes, water bottles and more, S-Biners keep the chaos (relatively) under control.

FORGET FIDGET SPINNERS

Kids are programmed to keep their minds and bodies active. By keeping a handful of brightly colored Gear Ties stored in their backpacks, kids can use them for everything from fixing broken lunch box handles to sculpting Gear Ties into their favorite creatures. Our new Gear Tie Key Ring is both fun and functional, offering busy bodies a perfect way to fidget quietly.

Sometimes fixing a lunch box is a lot easier than convincing a five-year-old that his Twilight lunch box (don't ask) isn't the best lunch box ever.

BIKE FOR BETTER GRADES

A recent Danish study that followed 20,000 school-aged kids determined that bicycling to school impacts concentration more than eating a healthy breakfast. Outfitting bikes with SpokeLit Disc-O Select and See'ems for side visibility provides safety through fun and colorful lights kids love. For walkers and riders, magnetic TagLits are super bright and easily attach to bags, jackets and more.

FAMILY TIME, FUN TIME

After sitting in school all day, kids need to move their bodies—a feat made more difficult by shorter days. Closing out each day tossing around the Flashflight Jr. orplaying catch (with or without Fido) is a great way to combine family time with fun time.

GOODNIGHT MOON

When it’s time to crawl into bed, the BugLit makes for a perfect reading light that kids can enjoy while they rest up and get ready to do it all over again the next day.

Thoughts on Innovation, the Nite Ize way.

We have over 400 innovative problem/solution based products that appeal to anyone who has ever faced a daily frustration and found that perfect product to solve their problem. Whether you are into the latest tech products, love to walk your dog, enjoy hunting & fishing, biking with your family, or just love a helpful gadget, we hope that you will find a Nite Ize product that makes your life easier, safer and more fun – night and day! We love to share stories & ideas with our friends and customers. Enjoy!